NCJ Number
145303
Date Published
1993
Length
102 pages
Annotation
This report describes the county-State juvenile justice system in Montgomery County, Md.; analyzes data collected on juveniles arrested in 1989 by county police; and presents recommendations for juvenile justice policies.
Abstract
In 1989, the county police arrested an estimated 1,995 juveniles (1,655 males and 340 females) for delinquent offenses. There were 2,520 arrests on more than 3,355 charges. The lifetime police records of the juveniles were analyzed to indicate such factors as the lifetime recidivism rate (36 percent for males, 21 percent for females), the number of violent offenses in 1989 (100 arrests of 95 juveniles), the number of habitual offenders with five or more lifetime arrests (130 males and 10 females), and the contribution of the male habitual offenders (8 percent of the males arrested, 18 percent of the male arrests, and 35 percent of the violent offenses). Ten chronological case histories of habitual offenders were prepared based on police records and intake and court files. They indicate that the males exhibit a long history of problem behavior from childhood and an adolescent crime spree that began at age 14, 15, or 16; that many arrestees are quickly back on the street committing more crimes; and that there are few adjudications. The report recommends that the system as a whole be assessed using the principles of effective parenting. Specific suggestions include an improvement in the first step at which arrested juveniles are released to an adult, the use of court-appointed mentors, the use of long-term case managers, the use of social workers, and the exchange of information among all agencies working with the juveniles and their families. 2 tables, 1 figures, and 75 notes